Currents
by syntheticSkye
Summary: AU:ShizNat - CHAPTER 7 :: Concert night. Unexpected last minute hurdles to over come for both Natsuki and Shizuru, will everything goes as planned?
1. Melody

Disclaimer: The same as always. I don't own Mai-HiME, so no-no with the lawsuits, ok?

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**Currents  
**Chapter 1: Melody

-

It was winter in Fuuka. The season brought it's traditional amount of snow and it's share of low temperatures. Sounds of friendly conversations between couples and families. With the holiday season just around the corner, they frantically shopped for presents. Every single breath exhaled showed in the cold air, proof that winter was not leaving anytime soon.

Of course, all of those were invisible to a certain motorcycle rider. Just longing to get home she sped through traffic. Ignoring the dangerous conditions of the road, she increased the acceleration to the max. Everything blurred. The thrill. The speed. The surge of extra adrenaline pushed out the unwanted thoughts from her mind. Most importantly, it pushed out the events that lead to her current misery.

-

Upon arriving at her apartment, she threw her helmet at a random corner. Hearing the sound of something breaking, didn't even faze her. Walking through the unlit apartment proved to be a simple task. Not even bothering to reach a light source until she sat down in a comfortable couch. Mind drifting back to a certain someone, she shook her head to get rid of such images thoughts. Looking around the apartment, she quickly eyed the digital piano near the window. Not wanting to sleep for the night just yet, she walked towards the instrument.

Turning on a small lamp, it lit the area of the keyboard. After turning on the keyboard, she dug into her pocket and pulled out a cell phone. Placing it on top of the keyboard, she sat down on the chair and began playing random notes. It didn't take long for her to start playing a melody she had heard long ago. Assuring herself that the piece itself was called "Goodnight Julia" she wasn't quite sure where she had heard it from.

The house phone started to ring but it didn't stop her from playing the piano. It was the only thing that could relax her now. It held memories, important ones. After a few more rings the answering machine took control. Upon hearing a familiar voice over the speaker, she still remained in front of the keyboard playing said piece.

"Natsuki? It's Mai. I guess you're not home yet. Listen, I know you guys had been on bad terms lately but Shizuru had been trying to call you for a while and she's worried. Did something happen? I think you should call her back. Well, call me if you need someone to talk to, ok?"

The call ended with a click. Moments later the cell phone suddenly started vibrate, it still didn't affect her. However, the name that was listed in the caller ID caused her to miss a note and stop playing.

_Shizuru..._

Hesitating to answer, she left her hands hovering over the keys of the piano. A minute later, it stopped vibrating.

'11 Missed Calls' was displayed on the LCD of the phone.

Right next to the keyboard was a small table consisting of 2 levels. The lower level had various amounts of music books and scattered sheet music. The top only had a single picture frame. The picture was taken during the summer during a short weekend vacation at the beach. Remembering the times, against her will, a small smile appeared on her face. Looking at the cell phone, she reached for it thinking about returning the calls.

She stopped reaching for the phone when the sudden flashbacks of events made her remember. Instead of reaching for the cell phone, it went to her left cheek tracing it's outline. The stinging had subsided but the pain remained. Remembering what happened, the pain increased ten-fold.

Grabbing the cell phone she threw it at another random corner of the room. Reaching over at the frame, she stared at the moment that was captured by the camera. Hands shaking, her grip on the frame became tighter cracking the glass. Tears dropped as more cracks appeared. Releasing her frustration with a scream, she hurled the frame away. When the frame made impact upon a surface, the glass shattered, as did her sanity.

Her crying did not cease as she stood up to kick away the table next to the keyboard. Everything within the reach of her arms and legs was either tossed or kicked away. Grabbing the chair, she raised it over her head, intent on bring it down upon the keyboard. Realizing what she was about to do, tears poured from her eyes as if she had realized all the floodgates that had been holding them back. Dropping the chair, she walked over to the couch, burying her face into the pillow to suppress her crying.

-

Just outside the door, a lone figure had heard the entire ordeal. Crimson eyes fixated on the floor while ears were listening intently on the girl sobbing on the other side of the door. A single tear escaped from her eyes.

"Natsuki..."

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**Author's Notes**: Ok, I just needed to get this story out because it's been on my mind for awhile even before "I Got You". I just couldn't resist writing some angst, lol, sorry. I know it's a short chapter but I wanted to know what you guys think of it before I continue. So, with that said, let me know what you think. Greatly appreciate if you do. I'll continue if you all like it.

Oh yeah, the piece "Goodnight Julia" came from Cowboy Bebop. Composed by Yoko Kanno, if I'm not mistaken. It's originally a saxophone and piano duet piece but I believe there's a piano only version. In this case, Kuga does indeed play the piano only version.


	2. The First Beat

Disclaimer: The same as always. I don't own Mai-HiME, so no-no with the lawsuits, kay?

Author's Note: I seem to have confused people a bit with the first chapter. So, let's go back in time to see how the events of the previous chapter came to be mmkay?

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**Currents  
**Chapter 2: The First Measure

(_**X **_Years Ago)

It was a cool fall Friday night in Fuuka. The sun had just set and the night life has just begun. The usual group of teens heading to their clubs and parties. The night sky lit up with lights from advertisements and building lights. It was as if the night life was more lively then the daytime, so filled with energy.

Needing a place to relax for the day, Fujino Shizuru walking around the city not wanting to go home. Stopping in front of a tiny place called "The Fire String Café" she had second thoughts about entering it. The outside of the café wasn't noticeable, just a sign that says the name and an arrow pointing down a set of stairs. Thinking it was probably just another party club, she turned away only to bump into the owner of deep forest green eyes. Surprised, she stepped back.

"I am sorry."

"Ah, shit."

The owner of those same green eyes ran downstairs into the café. Being ignored was something Shizuru wasn't familiar with. Her Kansai-ben made heads turn her way whenever she would walk. The striking beauty and the grace of which she carried herself with would be followed by the eyes of those who've seen her. She was so used to the attention, she was now intrigued by and individual that probably didn't look at her. Never so intrigued by a stranger before, her eyes followed the figure disappear down the stairs. A small board was at the bottom of the stairs. Written in chalk it said:

Exclusive Fire String Café Performance  
Amazing piano solos performed by:

Kuga Natsuki

Every Friday!  
Only here at the Fire String Café!

Interest raised upon the words 'piano solos', Shizuru walked down the stairs towards the entrance and stepped in.

-

"Natsuki! You're late!"

"No. I'm a minute early."

Taking off her jacket and settling it on the couch in the performer's room, Natsuki quickly went to grab a bottle of water. It's been 5 years since the best friends graduated from college. One went into business and the other was studying to be a mechanic but was suddenly interested in music.

"How come you're late today? You're usually here earlier."

"Bike broke down a couple of blocks from here. Had to walk. Then I realized I was going to be late so I ran."

"You haven't changed one bit."

-

After settling into her own table, Shizuru was actually Surprised to find that while this place was still filled with some teenagers, they weren't so loud. They were well behaved chattering amongst themselves in a low tone. A waitress came by giving her a menu to order from, then left to let her decide on the order. Wondering who this pianist was occupied her mind. _This Natsuki person must be talented. Hopefully it wasn't that woman I bumped into earlier. No manners at all_.

-

Back inside the performer's room, Natsuki had her needed rest while going over music sheets to plan out the performance.

"Hey Natsuki, I have a request. Can you play this song?"

Picking up a set of sheet music from the pile on the table, she handed it to her raven haired friend. Natsuki agreed to her friend's request with a nod and smile.

"Anything for you Mai."

"Then, will you go with us tomorrow to karao-"

"-No."

"Well then, can't blame me for trying. It's about time you take the stage."

"Right."

Mai walked out the room, leaving Natsuki reading at the sheet music Mai requested. _Interrupted by Fireworks, huh?_

-

Now quietly sipping her tea and eating the house special called 'The Ruby Ramen' Shizuru was quite relaxed. The lights in the audience area dimmed and two spotlights struck the stage illuminating the grand piano that was being rolled onto the center stage. A busty girl with orange hair walked to the microphone at the corner and started to speak.

"Thank you all guys for coming tonight. I hope you're enjoying yourselves. I'm sorry for the long delay but now I present to you, The Fire String Cafe's exclusive performer, Kuga Natsuki!"

The crowd applaud as the busty girl went off stage. _This Natsuki person must be popular among this crowd._ Emerging from the back, the raven haired woman walked towards the piano earning a louder applause. With a quick bow to the audience, she turned around to lift the cover from the piano and sat on the bench and began playing the first piece.

As the crowd once again became silent the moment a note was heard, Shizuru was in shock. The rude woman who she had bumped into earlier was the same one currently playing a beautiful melody. Unable to stay angry at the woman, Shizuru surrendered into the simple yet captivating melody of the piece.

Not soon after, the first piece finished. Then the second one and the third one. Each song left Shizuru wondering more and more about the pianist. Seeing those hands move up and down the keys with ease and grace had been entertaining and intriguing.

-

Finishing off the last measure of the fourth piece, Natsuki removed her hands from the piano allowing her wrist and fingers to rest. _Now for Mai's request._ Raising her hands over the keys allowing it to hover for a second, she brought them down upon the black and white keys playing the last piece of the night.

-

As if the first four pieces played were the prelude, this final piece sent Shizuru into relaxation and joy. It followed a simple melody, soft and soothing. So drawn into the harmony of the piece, she didn't even notice the piece was finished. All she heard was the loud applause of the crowd. As the pianist left the stage, the crowd went back to their light talks amongst themselves.

Not long after, she paid for her meal and was about to walk out the door when she saw the same pianist at the bar. Contemplating if she should approach the woman, Shizuru felt the need to thank the pianist for a lovely Performance. _A thank you should be fine._

-

"There was more people today then last week."

"They're your fans. Be nice to them and don't run them over with your motorcycle."

About to retaliate with a remark of her own, Natsuki was suddenly Interrupted by a familiar voice from behind.

"Excuse me."

Turning around, she found that the voice did indeed belonged to the woman she bumped into earlier.

"I enjoyed your performance tonight."

"Uh, thanks."

The chestnut haired woman wore a pleasant smile on her face. Remembering who she was talking to, Natsuki turned the bar stool around to completely face the woman.

"Oh, sorry about earlier. I was running late and I didn't see you so."

"It's fine."

"Um, let me buy you a drink to make up for it."

"If you insist."

-

Interested in knowing more about this pianist named Kuga, Shizuru sat down at the empty stool next to her. After ordering a drink, they started a small conversation.

"So, what made you interested in playing the piano, Kuga-san?"

"I was actually studying to become a mechanic at first."

"Mechanic? Why the sudden change?"

"I do both. When I'm not performing here I work at a mechanic shop."

Interest starts to rise as Shizuru watches Kuga talk about her jobs with a smile. _She must really enjoy both jobs. To be talking about them with such passion. _Snapping out of her train of thought, she was met with deep green forest eyes looking intently at her.

"Yes?"

"Um, I don't even know your name yet." she said while shyly scratching her left cheek

"Do you wish to know?"

"It'd be nice. Instead of just addressing you with a 'hey you'"

Amused with the response given, she answered. "Fujino Shizuru"

-

Just a few feet away, Mai had just finished serving a table when she spotted Natsuki talking to a stranger. _Since when does she randomly talk to random people?_ Seeing that the mysterious woman left Natsuki's side, Mai approached her friend.

"So, who was that?"

"Nosey as always."

"Curious is more like it."

The bartender came giving Natsuki's drink a refill.

"That, was one of Natsuki's newest fans."

"Shut up, Nao."

The red head bartender shrugged her shoulders and looked at Mai whispering the word 'denial" then walked away to serve the others. Mai let out a small chuckle and continued to talk to her friend.

"So what's her name?"

"Fujino Shizuru."

"Oh? And what di-"

"Ok, look. She just came over to tell me that she enjoyed listening to me play, ok?"

Another bartender came around and overheard their conversation.

"Bought her a drink too."

"Damn it, Midori!"

"OH! A drink?" Mai sounding more interested then ever

Realizing that the odds are now against her, Natsuki tried her best to explain without arising anymore unwanted conclusions from her friends.

"The reason I bought her a drink was to apologize for running into her earlier. Remember I was running late?"

The three other friends rolled their eyes at the excuse. Natsuki gave up and just kept on drinking. After awhile Mai had joined with a drink of her own with Natsuki.

"It's just rare to see you talk to random people all of a sudden, that's all."

"Well, don't worry. She's probably just a one-timer, I don't think she'll come back."

"Why not? Something wrong with my café?"

"It's not really inviting if you look at it from the outside."

"One day I'll get a better place."

-

However, Natsuki's prediction of Shizuru never coming back was completely off. Every Friday, she would come in. Order the same drink, same dish, then watch Natsuki play the piano. Like their first meeting, after each Performance, Natsuki would come out and join her at her table. Little conversations allowed the two to get to know each other better, allowing the other to address them on a first name basis. After a month, each had visited the other's work place. Natsuki had to refrain herself from buying anything from where Shizuru had worked. After all, she did own a small chain of lingerie stores throughout the city. Though, at the end of her visit, Shizuru had given her a small bag of the newest lingerie in stock. She'd be lying if she said she didn't like the gift. Then it was Shizuru's turn to visit the mechanic shop. Seeing Natsuki's hands covered in oil and holding a wrench instead of playing the black and white keys of a piano Surprised her. Though, it also amused her that one girl can have so many sides to her.

-

Two months later

After another Performance at the Fire String Café, Natsuki had joined Shizuru at her table again. Settling in and ordering Natsuki turned to her companion.

"What a lovely performance."

"You say that every night."

"Only because it's always a lovely performance."

Slightly blushing at the compliment, Natsuki turned her head away. Though, it was not enough to escape from Kyoto beauty.

"Blushing again?" with an amused tone

"No, I'm not. It's just...the light was on me while I was playing, it got hot. That's all."

Letting out a small chuckle, Shizuru responded, "You even have a different excuse for the blush every night. How cute."

Mai came by extending an invitation to another karaoke party exclusively for the employees of the café.

"Say Natsuki. Tomorrow is the kara-"

"-No."

"You didn't even let me finish."

"No karaoke."

"Why not? Shizuru is invited too!"

Smiling at the extended invitation, Shizuru continued drinking her tea and watching the childish quarrel between the friends.

"Because I'm busy tomorrow."

"What are you doing?"

Out of excuses to avoid getting sucked into the karaoke world of Tokiha Mai, Natsuki looked at the person sitting next to her and decided to go for it.

"We're going out tomorrow"

Not wanting to believe the excuse, Mai turned to the woman in question. Shizuru looked over to find those same green eyes look at her trying to tell her to go along with the excuse.

"Yes, I believe we have made arrangements."

"See!"

Crossing her arms, Mai gave Natsuki the evil eye.

"Fine. Next time you better be coming or else. No more free drinks for you."

Once the red head was out of earshot, Natsuki let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks for getting me out of that."

"It is no problem..."

While reaching for her drink, Shizuru continued her sentence.

"However, I will hold you to our little date tomorrow."

"What?!"

"Would you like me to tell Mai-san that we will, indeed, be joining her for karaoke?"

Sinking in her chair Natsuki could only stare at the woman who not only lied to Mai but double crossed her in the process. All while maintaining that perfect smile.

"...so, where we going tomorrow?"

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**Author's Notes**: Eventually this will all link up to the events of the first chapter, so fear not. As for wondering if they're together or not yet...I'll wait until the next chapter to tell you guys. Until then feel free to imagine. So, with that said, let me know what you think. Greatly appreciate if you do. I'll continue if you all like it. 

Oh yes, _Interrupted by Fireworks_is a piece from the game Final Fantasy VII composed by Nobou Uematsu. It's a wonderful piece so you all should listen to it. OK! Now that I got this out of the way, I'll go back to writing "I Got You". I'll probably alternate between stories or something.


	3. Duet

Disclaimer: The same as always. I don't own Mai-HiME, so no-no with the lawsuits, kay?

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**Currents  
**Chapter 3: Duet

-

The day of the date came. _It didn't have to come._ Was the thought a certain raven haired girl was thinking. The excuse was just a spur of the moment, she didn't actually think the other girl would agree to it. A part of her was refusing to accept that this day might actually end up being fun. Plans of just sleeping in the entire day, gone. Grabbing the spare helmet from the closet, Natsuki ran out her apartment.

After an hour long commute, she finally reached Shizuru's apartment. _This place is farther then I thought_. It was a peaceful neighborhood, the December air brought a slight chill. Arriving in front of the door, Natsuki gave a light knock. After hearing the bolts get unlocked, the door opened revealing the chestnut haired woman.

"Natsuki is early."

"Am I?"

Opening the door wider, Shizuru motioned the other girl to come in. Walking in, Natsuki was greeted by a burst of warm air, the cold quickly dissolved from the woman's body. Examining the apartment, Natsuki found the place to be quite simple, not much different from her own room.

"Nice place."

Still looking around, Natsuki never noticed Shizuru walked passed her.

"Thank you. Please, make yourself at home while I get ready."

"Ok."

Quickly glancing over at Shizuru, Natsuki noticed that the woman had a smile on her face. _What's with that smile?_

"Something wrong?"

"Well..."

What Natsuki didn't know was that Shizuru had just stepped out of the shower when she arrived. _Hey, a maroon colored towel. Wait, t-towel?! _Quickly turning around to keep herself from staring, Natsuki had a difficult time forming her next sentence.

"W-why are...are you wearing a t-towel?"

"Ara, did I not say that Natsuki was early?" much amusement in her tone

"Y-yes you d-did. But please get dressed?"

"Of course."

Hearing a door close, Natsuki turned back around to see that her friend had indeed entered the bedroom to change. Letting out a sign of relief, Natsuki sat on the couch to get her thoughts straight. All attempts to get her thoughts straight was all foiled by the image of a towel clad Shizuru. Soft chestnut tresses clinging on to her bare porcelain back. Droplets of water was still present on her arms, rolling to her fingertips ever so smoothly. The towel ended 3 inches above the knee leaving majority of her legs exposed where more droplets of water were present. Slowly rolling down her legs leaving a slight trail. Noticing just how much details she remembered from one glance, she tried to cover her face with her right hand.

"Oh my god, did I just visualized all that?"

-

Later on, the two made it back to the city but without a plan laid out, they found themselves sitting idly on the parked motorcycle. The engine of the bike was off but Shizuru still had her arms around Natsuki's waist.

"Uh, you can let go now."

"But I feel so safe here."

"We're not even moving."

After a moment of silence, Shizuru broke the hold and removed the helmet, smiling once again at her companion.

"Where are we going today?"

"Was just about to ask you the same question."

"Perhaps we could walk around until we find a suitable activity?"

"Works for me."

After walking around town, the two came across an arcade. The place didn't spark any interest with the chestnut haired woman but seeing the slight interest in the deep green eyes was enough to make her reconsider. The sounds of guns shooting, zombies waling, victory songs being played were all too familiar to Natsuki. However, they were more of random noises to her companion. After moving from booth to booth, playing games along the way, Natsuki finally spotted a game they can play together. After feeding the machine some coins, she motioned Shizuru to go to the other side while she explains the rules.

"May I ask what game this is?"

"Air hockey."

Waving the puck in the air, Natsuki continued her explanation.

"You need to hit this puck through the goal to get a point. The game ends at 10. Simple right?"

"It certainly sounds simple."

Natsuki swept the first game using the boards to ricochet the puck into the goal. Natsuki smiled at her victory while Shizuru asked for a rematch. Never one to turn down a challenge, she accepted. What she didn't know was that Shizuru was a fast learner. Eventually she too started to ricochet the puck eventually finding small gaps of scoring opportunity against the girl. The second game ended 10-9, a close match with Shizuru the victor.

"What a minute. What the hell just happened?"

"I believe I have beaten Natsuki."

Lost for words, Natsuki stared at the table unable to grasp the events that lead to her defeat. Natsuki's 'O' shaped mouth amused the woman on the other side of the table.

"Perhaps Natsuki would like a rematch?"

"Of course!" she quickly responded upon hearing the word 'rematch'

After feeding more coins to the machine, the table came to life releasing constant burst of air through the tiny holes on the table. Determined, Natsuki declared that the winner of the third match would be the victor of the entire game. The other woman complied and decided to add her side of the terms.

"How about this. Whoever wins this gets to pick where to eat lunch."

"Deal."

Once the other girl agreed, Shizuru was now more determined to win. She doesn't make bets blindly, she had a plan in store for Natsuki. Tracking the movements of the puck, Natsuki's eyes darted from left to right as it bounced from the edges. Natsuki scored first but didn't celebrate the goal. _Celebration after only when I win._ Focusing herself at the next play. Shizuru, on the other hand, was amused to the other girl's seriousness over a simple game.

A few goals later, the score was once again 9-9. Shizuru played 'catch-up' and 3 goals later she was tied with the other girl. Natsuki reached down to retrieve the puck from the slot giving herself a moment before commencing play. She stared into the eyes of the woman across the table.

"Are you sure you haven't played this before?"

"I believe I would know if I did."

Some part of her refuse to accept that a noob was on the verge of beating her. Back at the dorms in college, her and Mai played the game countless times. And Natsuki had beaten her countless times. Even when Mai had practiced it during her breaks and free time, she still couldn't beat Natsuki. Taking a brief moment to recollect herself, Natsuki placed the puck on the table and commenced play.

Once again tracking the puck, part of Natsuki's mind pictured herself as a goalie. _A tied rivalry game is in overtime. Shootout is not an option. _Natsuki faked a hit making Shizuru make a huge movement to the left side of the goal. As quickly as she can, Natsuki shot the goal right towards the open slot. It was almost there, zooming past the halfway point and only inches from giving the raven haired girl her victory. Nearing ever so closely to the goal, it was suddenly swatted away to the right side as Shizuru successfully deflected the shot. _Nooooooooo!_ _So damn close!_

Leaning on the table to make her shot, Shizuru stretched out her arm attempting to make contact with the puck. Natsuki was ready, she kept her eye on the other woman's arm to see which way it went hoping to determine the course of the puck. As the arm stretched out more, against her will, Natsuki's eyes wandered up the woman's arm. Shizuru wore a low cut V-neck long sleeve giving Natsuki's eyes a sneak down her shirt. Standing there dazed, Natsuki's mind was long gone from the game and focusing on what her eyes were currently staring. Shizuru's chest, tightly being held by her bra. _Pink? No. Whiteish pink perhaps? Probably. Satin? You bet your ass it is. 200x fall collection? No. Hey, that's the winter collection. The unreleased special limited edition winter collection! I don't have that! I must have it!_

"Natsuki?"

Snapping herself out of her lingerie analysis, she responded "Huh?"

"I win."

Looking at the table, the puck was nowhere to be seen. She looked up at the mini scoreboard on top of the table, it read 10-9. _No fucking way! _

"That last goal doesn't count!"

"Why not?"

"Because I was distracted!"

"Oh?"

"Yes. I was staring at your ch-"

Debating between telling the truth and be eternally made fun of or accepting defeat and not be eternally made fun of. Natsuki found accepting defeat was much better. However, Shizuru isn't one to leave small details unchecked.

"Staring at my what?"

"Your...err...w-watch! I was wondering what time it was since I'm hungry. Yes, hungry!"

Shizuru looked at the other girl if she should believe it or not. Luckily for Natsuki, the watch was indeed on the correct wrist giving more weight to the girl's alibi.

"Then, what color is the watch?"

"Pink- I mean silver! I ment to say silver!"

The chestnut haired woman smiled and lifted her wrist to show that the watch was indeed silver. Natsuki sighed in relief. _Safe._

-

Leaving the arcade, the two had agreed to find a place to eat. Winning the game, Shizuru was rewarded by picking said place. Let us not forget that even though she lost, Natsuki was also rewarded. Though in a much different way, not that she minded. Shizuru's cell phone rang. After a few seconds, Natsuki walked away to give the girl some privacy. _Hm, business call._ Walking over to a car whose window had fogged up, she drew the symbol of a treble clef with her index finger. Signing her initials at the lower right side of the symbol 'N.K'. Not long after, Shizuru approached the girl asking for a ride to the main store. One of the employees called her after a confusion in the shipment and orders.

Upon reaching the main store, Shizuru tapped the other girl on the shoulder.

"This will only take a second."

"Take your time."

Natsuki responded with a smile. _A chance to look to see if this store has that limited edition you're wearing._ When they entered the store, a small gust of warm air gently blew on their faces. Shizuru walked towards the back where the office was leaving Natsuki browsing the store. Searching left and right, high and low, she failed to see the sign on the register. It said:

**Winter Collection: Special Limited Edition**

**Pre-orders sold out.**

She cursed her luck. _Of course it's sold out. Your damn sexy manager is already wearing it! I wonder if I get first dibs if I work here. _Shaking her head at the silly idea. _Working at the garage and composing pieces for my gig at Mai's place is already enough. Wait, did I just call Shizuru 'sexy'? What the hell is wrong with me? Though it is true, that body just screams out ho- gahhh!_

From a distance, a worker was looking at the raven haired girl. The quick changes in expressions, the quick shades of red. Said worker walked up to the girl to see if everything is alright.

"Excuse me."

"Yes?"

"Is everything alright?

"Of course!"

The worker smiled and continued to ask questions.

"You look familiar. Have I seen you here before?"

"Eh, uh. I came here with Shizuru a couple of weeks ago."

"That's right! You're Fujino-san's friend."

The little walkie talkie on the clerk's side started to emit static. The a loud voice came through.

"Yukino! Come back here this instant and talk some sense to this woman!"

Natsuki could've sworn she heard Shizuru just calmly drinking tea while the other woman just screamed. Yukino bowed to the to take her leave and attend to the matters in the back. Some time passed by before Shizuru walked out. Natsuki was sitting on the window sill right next to the sign that says "Please do not sit on the window sill"

"Natsuki?" she called out to the girl while pointing at the sign

The raven haired woman turned to her companion and followed to where her finger was pointing. _Oh, the sign. Hahah._ She smiled innocently at Shizuru who only shook her head.

"I believe Natsuki was hungry?"

"Yeah."

Following Shizuru out the store, she was suddenly stopped by the clerk from earlier holding a small gift bag.

"Excuse me, would you please give this to Fujino-san? Wish her happy birthday too."

"Birthday?"

"Yes, today is her birthday. She doesn't like to share it very much."

-

Reaching the chestnut haired woman outside, Natsuki gave the gift bag to the girl.

"Here. It's from Kikukawa-san."

"Oh. Did she say what it's for?"

"Nope. So, where we eating?"

Trying to avoid the fact that today was this woman's birthday, Natsuki switched topics whenever the conversation would go towards that direction. Agreeing to be blindfolded, Shizuru led the girl through the streets towards restaruant. _Where is this woman leading me? Stairs? Hmm, ok. Wait a minuite. Why do I hear music?_

"We are here. You may take the blindfold off if you wish."

Wanting to see the place Shizuru picked, Natsuki took off the blindfold with much haste. Once they were off, she wished she never took them off in the first place.

"Natsuki! Shizuru-san! You guys came! It's kareoke night at the Fire String Café!"

"M-Mai. Ka...kareoke. Ugh."

Turning to the woman beside her, Natsuki tried to once again communicate to the girl with pleading eyes that says 'Are you serious? Please not here.' The other woman, however, only stared back as if to say 'My dear, I'm always serious.' Walking inside towards the table she always sat in during the Friday nights Natsuki performed. Natsuki then turned to Mai.

"I hope you're happy."

"I'm more then happy. This is your retribution! Delivered swiftly and rightfully so."

"Retribution?"

"Yes. For skipping out on all the kareoke nights!"

Slumping her shoulders, Natsuki walked towards Shizuru's table and sat down. _Double crossed again. By the same woman too! They're conspiring against me, I swear. Shizuru and Mai, you'll get your own retributions one of these days._

A couple of hours passed. Everyone in the café seemed to have sung at least once, even Shizuru. Natsuki was wishing her luck would hold out, after all, she's probably the only one who haven't sung yet. Alas, her luck was crushed by the person she calls her best friend. Once Mai took the stage, she thanked everyone for coming to kareoke night. She glanced over at Natsuki and continued to speak.

"For those who took time to come today, I've got a special treat for you all. Surely you all know The Fire String's lovely pianist, Kuga Natsuki, right?"

The crowd cheered. Natsuki's eyes went wide at the mention of her name. _TOKIHA MAI! Don't you fucking dare or I swear I will bring Hell upon you! _As if sensing Natsuki's threat, Mai turned to the girl. Seeing Natsuki's glare, Mai can only smile her apologetic smile then turned to Shizuru. _I'm sorry Natsuki. I'm sorry we conspired against you. However, your punishment for skipping out on kareoke nights are long over due. _Turning back to the crowd, she continued to speak.

"Well! Here's your chance to see the beautiful pianist play the piano AND sing!"

The spotlight suddenly swung to Natsuki who was trying to escape by hiding under the table. Every move the girl made, the spotlight followed. Trying to see past the beam of light, Natsuki found Nao at the controls. _Oh, you'll get yours too Nao. Just you wait. Just you all wait!_ Giving up with the escape plan, Natsuki faced the challenge ahead of her like a true warrior. Walking, slowly, to the stage, the crowd once again roared to life with cheers, claps and the ocassional 'Kuga, I love you!' or 'Kuga, you're so hot!'.

Finally getting to the stage, she took the microphone from Mai. Making sure the microphone was away from their mouths Natsuki delievered her message to her life long friend.

"You know you're going to die as soon as I get a chance right?"

"I'll make sure to get a head start while you're singing then."

"It's best if you go to another country so I can't use my favorite gun."

"Thanks for the heads up."

Walking quickly away from Natsuki, Mai gave a thumbs up at Shizuru who only smiled and nodded. Turning back to Natsuki who, after setting up the piano, turned to gave a small glare at her again, Mai gave her another apologetic smile. As soon as Natsuki turned around to start playing, Mai smiled. _Never piss off Natsuki unless you have life insurance._ She turned to Shizuru. _And never ever piss off Natsuki unless you have someone with power on your side._

Playing the black and white ivory keys, despite her mood at the moment, Natsuki played a very up beat song. Once she started singing, however, everyone in the crowed was sucked into her melodic voice acomannying the piano. Neither her voice or the piano was louder then the other. They just mixed together in a perfect harmony.

**L is for the way you look at me  
****O is for the only one I see  
****V is very very, extra ordinary  
****E is even more then anyone then you adore**

**Can love is all that I can give to you  
****Love is more then just a game for two  
****Two in love can make it  
****Take my heart and please don't break it  
****Love, was made for me and you**

For a brief moment, Shizuru swore that Natsuki looked at her when she sang the last two lines. The piano took over, playing chords to make a richer sound in the solo. They also took the place of the saxophone in the part. Natsuki began to sing again.

**L is for the way you look at me  
****O is for the only one I see  
****V is very very, extra ordinary  
****E is even more then anyone then you adore**

Now playing both chords and triads, the sound of the piano was at it's best. The crowd cheered at the sudden increase of volume give their full support for their favorite pianist.

**Can love is all that I can give to you  
****Love is more then just a game for two  
****Two in love can make it  
****Take my heart and please don't break it  
****Love, was made for me and you  
****Love, was made for me and you  
****Love, was made for me and you**

Playing scales up and down the keyboard near the end gave the performace earned the loudest cheer from the crowd. When it ended, Natsuki stood up and bowed to the crowd. Exiting the stage, she walked over to the table she shared with her companion who was now talking to Mai. She looked at her friend while taking a sip of her water, she had to drive home after all.

"Arn't you suppose to be on an airplane right now?"

Laughing at Natsuki's threat, Mai shrugged off the fact that the tone of her voice gave a slight indication that it wasn't an empty threat.

"Now that you've paid your kareoke dues, you're free from it for a month"

"Only a month? I played the piano and sung! I should at least get 2 months."

"Fine. 2 months bail."

Mai left the table leaving the two alone. Shizuru started a conversation after being in a trance of seeing the raven haired girl's performance.

"Natsuki sang beautifully."

Natsuki can only shrug. "I don't usually play and sing at the same time. It's rare so don't count on seeing it again in your lifetime."

"Then I'm glad I picked this place."

-

It wasn't long before the two left the café. It got dark rather quickly and while riding around the city, it began to rain. Getting caught in the rainstorm, Shizuru's apartment was out of the question since it was an hour away. Both agreed to head over to Natsuki's apartment to dry out and wait for the rain to stop.

During the ride, Natsuki had given up her riding jacket to the other woman who only had a light coat on. Her loose fitted long sleeve shirt clung to her body like a wetsuit. Entering the apartment, she quickly ran to the bathroom to grab a towel and dry clothes for her guest. Natsuki changed first and pointed the location of the bathroom to the other woman. Waiting wasn't one of her strong points so she walked over to her old electronic keyboard and started to play. Shizuru emerged from the bathroom wearing one of Natsuki's white shirts and black spandex.

"I didn't know Natsuki likes to play the keyboard that much."

"I only really play it this much when I have something in my mind."

"Would you teach me how to play something?" she said in her melodic Kyoto-ben while sitting next to the girl on the bench.

"Ok."

Taking out a bunch of sheet music from the small table next to the keyboard, Natsuki searched through the folders and binders looking for an easy piece they can play together. Shizuru looked at the keyboard.

"This is quite an old keyboard."

"Well, it was the only thing I could afford. So it has to surrfice. Here we go!"

Placing the 2 pages of sheets music on the stand, Natsuki gave a quick tutorial. Pointing to a marked key, whose name was 'middle C', she explained the names of each black and white key. Once again turning to the sheet music, Natsuki explained each accidentals used. Naming each line and space of the grand staff, dividing the keyboard into 2 sections, the bass clef and treble clef. Somewhere along the way, Natsuki was worried if the woman understood any of it at all. It even took her quite sometime to get used to the whole thing.

"Did you really understood what I said?"

"Of course." with a tone of confidence was her answer. Natsuki was surpised that the woman just repeated everything she taught.

"Well. Ok then."

Playing a piece called "Prelude", Natsuki covered the complicated bass clef while Shizuru played the easy melody of the treble. Natsuki's hand crossed over the other hand so gracefully without intrupping up the beat. It continued on like this.

"Natsuki said that she only plays this much when there is something in her mind."

Without taking her eyes off the keys Natsuki responded "Yeah, that's right."

"Might I ask what is on Natsuki's mind?"

At that moment, Natsuki's fingers grazed the woman's hand causing her to ruin the melody and stop playing. The two stared at each other unblinking. Natsuki started to lean in, holding the other hand that occupied the keyboard. Feeling the other girl twitch at the moment their lips met, Natsuki was about to pull back until she felt an hand behind her head preventing her from doing go. Instead she just sunk deeper into the kiss feeling the warmth of the other girl pressed against her body. The two moved from the piano bench and started to fumble their way to Natsuki's bedroom never breaking the contact of their lips.

Shizuru laid on her back while Natsuki rested above her. Tugging at each others' clothes urging the other to remove the clothes in question out of the way. Sliding her thigh between the girl's legs, Shizuru arched her back at the contact letting a slight moan pass her lips. Using this oppotunity, Natsuki one of her wandering hands to around the back and unclasped the hook of the woman's bra. While sliding the straps from the girl's arms, Natsuki's lips moved from the kiss and let them graze Shizuru's jaw line until she got to the ear. Softly kissing behind the woman's ear, she leaned in closer to whisper something.

"Happy birthday."

* * *

**Author's Notes**: "Prelude", once again a Final Fantasy VII piece composed by Nobou Uematsu. Uh, Natsuki's song is by Nat King Cole called "L.O.V.E". Yeah, that's it. 

Just to make it clear, i can't write smut-smex so, yeah. Does my eyes decieve me? The word count for this chapter is 4142? I was actually thinking of dividing this chapter into 2 chapters since I thought it was really long..but I guess I'll just leave it as is. I hope it's not too long, I just sorta winged this entire chapter so yeah. Now that both this and "I Got You" have 3 chapters, I will now seriously go back to "I Got You" and start chapter 4. Then I would seriously alternate between stories. I will, I promise. So, with that said, let me know what you think. Greatly appreciate if you do. I'll continue if you all like it. Reviews keep authors going you know.

**Chatterbox-hikaru13:** **'**syntheticSkye-san'? Skye is just fine or skye-san if you prefer the 'san' very much. I'm glad you enjoy both my fics (hug)

**Naxor:** Natsuki dreads the word karaoke, lol. Your english is just fine by the way.

**Shiznats: **don't melt completely just yet. I assure you there's more fluff in future chapters before they take that bad turn.


	4. Duple Meter

Disclaimer: The same as always, I don't own Mai-HiME so no-no with the lawsuits, kay?

* * *

**Currents  
**Chapter 4: Duple Meter 

---

It was morning. The heater wasn't on but it was still warm. Not because of the blanket, not because of the warm bed. It was because of the person that is laying beside me. With her strong arms wrapped around my waist, I can feel her breathing on the back of my neck. It tickled. I made a move to turn around to try and face her but it just made her hold me tighter and kissed the back of my neck. It wasn't the result I wanted but I was satisfied with it, I'd actually prefer this result better then just staring at her. I glanced at the alarm clock at the stand, 11:30 AM, as much as I would like to stay like this longer, I needed to get up.

Once again, I try to gently unlock the arms that had been holding me in place. She moved a bit and let out a light groan and opened her eyes. We smiled at each other, staring into the other's eyes. Her eyes are a beautiful shade of green, it sparkled as the sun's ray seeped through the blinds gently hitting them. They're so clear, filled with light and warm emotions. Loving, caring, this moment was perfect. I decided to break the silence.

"Good morning."

You just kept on smiling. After a moment, you responded. "Good morning"

More of the beautiful silence. We didn't need to talk. We didn't need to do anything. Where we are, in each others arms, this was enough. It was perfect. Several minutes passed and I made another move to the bathroom. Again you just held on to me. I turned back at you and you were still smiling, I couldn't resist. I started to lean in, as I get closer, you shut your eyes waiting for the moment of contact. As soon as our lips met, I feel your embrace tighten pulling me closer to you. I wrapped my own arms around your neck pulling you in deeper into the kiss.

I wasn't sure which of us broke the kiss but I find myself staring into your eyes again.

"May I please go to the bathroom now?"

You laughed as you start to let go of my waist. "Ok."

"Thank you."

Before moving over to the edge of the bed, I turned back to you giving you a light kiss on the forehead before facing the cold air.

-

This is the best morning I've ever had. It beats waking up from a hangover and being scolded by Mai. Upon hearing the showers turned on, I sat up remembering what transpired last night and I couldn't help but smile. Been smiling like an idiot since I woke up. Moving to the edge of the bed, I placed my barefoot onto the floor. The contact wasn't pleasant, it was cold. Each step I take, it seems that the floor gets colder. Reaching the thermostat, I turned on the heater to the max and made my way back to the bedroom. Looking around the room, I find our clothes sprawled across the floor. Shirts thrown at opposite sides of the room, the shorts I wore last night was managed to get thrown by the door. I smiled like an idiot again, damn it.

The bed sheets are the only thing covering my nude form. It didn't do a good job blocking the cold air as I start to pick up the articles of clothing scattered across the floor. I found your bra right next to the bed. It's tempting but I know I shouldn't. I couldn't...I can't bring myself to do it. I still hear the showers in the bathroom and I start to look around the room. Making a motion to pick it up I force such ideas out my head. I didn't notice when the shower stopped but you suddenly noticed opened the bathroom door. I fumbled with the article of clothing and dropped it on the floor. You eyed the clothes I found and had placed on the bed.

"Did Natsuki not find my bra yet?"

"Uh, no. Not yet."

I just lied and kicked her bra under the bed. This is so wrong.

"Well, now it's my turn to take a shower!"

I walked as fast as I could to the bathroom and locked the door behind me. I can't believe I just did that. Bad Natsuki, bad bad Natsuki.

-

It wasn't long before the newly couple got together for breakfast. More like lunch. Natsuki entered the kitchen and poured herself a cup or orange juice. Taking a seat at the counter, she followed every movement the other woman made. _Cooking is evil. My respects to those who know of the arts._

"What does Natsuki eat in the morning?"

"Toast."

"Only toast?"

"No. It has mayonnaise on it."

Normally eating toast with mayo, Natsuki was surprised as she eyed the western style breakfast the other woman cooked. After eating, Shizuru gave Natsuki a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving for work. Cleaning up her share of the dishes, the raven haired beauty walked towards her digital piano. Natsuki noticed that the power was still on, after all, they never had a chance to turn it back off last night. Finally turning off the piano, she went back to the bedroom to change for work. Before leaving the room, she remembered something. Kneeling, she peeked under her bed and found nothing but a piece of paper. _What the hell? _Upon retrieving the paper, she unfolded it to find a message.

_To Natsuki, _

_Nice try._

_-Shizuru_

-

Before they knew it, several weeks passed. Every night, one would come over to the other's apartment. Movies, dinner, a light chat. Every time Shizuru comes over to Natsuki's apartment, she would ask for the girl to teach her how to play the piano. Each session she would impress her partner how much she had improved and how quickly she got accustomed to reading sheet music. In the morning it would be Shizuru's turn to teach Natsuki how to cook. Needless to say, Natsuki didn't get used to cooking in the beginning. As time passed by, however, she had successfully proven to her girlfriend that she will never be able to cook and was let off the hook.

-

It was a cold Friday afternoon in February when Natsuki received a call.

"Hey Natsuki. Do you have some free time today? Let's hang out."

"Mai? Uh, sure. What do you want to do?"

"Let's go ice skating at the new rink at Fuuka Plaza. Oh, Mikoto is coming so you can invite Shizuru-san."

"OK!" _shit_

"Hahah, Natsuki? It's like spending every night with her isn't enough for you."

"Shut up."

It wasn't long before they all met together. After changing into the rented ice skates, the zamboni took over to resurface the ice. The participants of the double date sat near the lockers and began to idly chat amongst themselves.

"Mai, how are the renovations on the café going?"

"Pretty well. They'll be done next week so prepare to perform next Friday."

"Do we get a new acoustic piano?"

"No. You'll still use the Yamaha we have."

Shizuru decided to intervene.

"For how long has the piano been in your possession?"

"Actually, Natsuki's piano instructor gave it."

"Oh?"

Natsuki felt the stare of her girlfriend. To others such a stare would only be interpreted as a smile of curiosity. For Natsuki it was saying 'explain yourself'. Sighing, she told her side of the donated piano. Explaining that the instructor was talking more to Mai and was strictly piano teaching to Natsuki. She even explains that the instructor went so far as to ask Mai out, Mai shook her head in embarrassment confirming Natsuki's story.

"He gave the piano to Mai for her café."

"I refused it. He was stubborn and changed his reason saying that it was for Natsuki."

"What? He said that I was his best student so he gave it to me."

Shizuru mused over the relationship of the two friends. They were both sinking in their seats trying to forget the events of that particular time in their past. Mikoto, with her arms crossed, only shook her head.

"Hm. Ani-ue is too strange."

"Ara, Natsuki's instructor and Mai-san's admirer is your brother?"

Mikoto nodded her head in confidence. Mai and Natsuki, however, slowly nodded at the sad truth. The resurfacing of the ice finished and the other skaters were making their way to the rink. The group waited for the rush to clear before making their way to the rink and continued to talk amongst themselves.

"Shizuru-san, have you ice skated before?"

"I'm afraid not. I never had any interest in sports."

"Well, it's easy and fun. Natsuki should be able to help you out."

The group finally moved to the rink. Mai and Mikoto were the first to the ice, skating side by side holding each other's hand. Before stepping into the rink, Natsuki turned around to face the other girl.

"You really have no interest in sports?"

"None."

"Then how do you...ehh..."

Letting her eyes scan up and down Shizuru's body, Natsuki wasn't able to finish her own sentence. Luckily, chestnut haired woman took the liberty to finish it for her.

"...look so good?"

"Uh, yeah."

"I have my own exercises."

"Oh, like?"

Curiosity getting the better of her, Natsuki failed to detect the suggestive tone in Shizuru's answer.

"Which one do I like? I like doing the exercises with Natsuki."

"We don't do any exercises together."

"You don't remember the first time we did an exercise?"

"No."

"Remember my birthday?"

Natsuki nodded her head but failed to make any connection. Shizuru found it amusing that after all this time of being together, Natsuki was still slow picking up her suggestive hints. Placing a finger on her chin, she decided to clarify her message, this time she decided to be straight forward about it.

"Did you know that sex burns about, or around, 1000 plus calories?"

Realization finally struck Natsuki as her complexion starts to slowly turn red. Avoiding the smirk on the woman's face, Natsuki turned around to face the ice. Shizuru only chuckled at the action taken by her girlfriend. _This is too much fun. _She walked up behind the girl and gave a hug while resting her chin upon the shoulders. Whispering into Natsuki's ear, Shizuru continued her assault.

"Burning that much calories in one go. Such a fun exercise, don't you agree?"

Natsuki had to bite down on her lip to keep herself from say what the other girl wanted to hear. She knew Shizuru was right, she won't deny it. But she won't admit it either. Lucky for her, Mai and Mikoto finished with their lap and are now skating towards them. Mikoto took it upon herself to pull Shizuru into the rink and started to give advise. Mai leaned on the board looking at Natsuki.

"Hey, are you ok?"

"Does it look like I'm ok?"

"Hahah, I see."

Finally setting foot on the ice, the two friends skated together for awhile. After a few seconds they stopped to allow the others to catch up. Mai finally told Natsuki what she's been observing. She noticed that since Natsuki and Shizuru got together, Natsuki had been happier. A few glares and evil eyes every time Mai would mention kareoke but happier and was smiling everyday.

"I would never guess you to be in a serious relationship. In high school you would shoot any guy that would ask you out."

"People change."

"Is it because in college you had a quick short fling with-"

"Quiet you."

Mai smiled knowing it was safer to keep her mouth shut. Natsuki, obviously annoyed at the smile gave her infamous glare.

"Don't worry, I won't tell her."

"A wise choice."

The two finally caught up to the friends and Mai went off with Mikoto. Shizuru held on to the boards for balance even though she learned some basics from Mikoto. Taking Shizuru's hands, Natsuki began to skate backwards while facing the girl giving her more advise. From time to time, Shizuru would slightly lose her balance and tighten her grip on Natsuki's hands causing the other girl to stop and provide support.

It wasn't long before Shizuru got used to the activity, she was a fast learner after all. Like Mai and Mikoto, Natsuki and Shizuru were also skating side by side holding hands. Skating was the only thing Natsuki looked forward to every winter. The feeling of being carefree was a something she was addicted to. During warm days, her motorcycle would provide her with the feeling as she would push the throttle to speed own the roads. In winter, it was ice skating. Now to be sharing her fondness of the ice with someone special only made it better. The chestnut haired woman didn't know about Natsuki's addiction to being carefree. The only thing Shizuru cared about was spending more time with the person right next to her.

A couple of hours later, the group left the rink to find a place for dinner. They randomly picked a restaurant on the corner of the block. Once seated, Mai realized she just walked into the restaurant she worked part-time during high school and college. Not remembering a familiar face, the service staff changed since she worked there. During dinner, they all shared stories of their past. Shizuru learned that Mai and Natsuki had been friends since high school, being partnered with each other in home economics class. The two shared their experiences trying to teach the raven haired girl how to cook, they laughed as both their results ended in failure.

Mikoto told the story of how she met Mai. It was through her brother, while he was giving Natsuki a lesson. Mai had used Natsuki to get to know more about Mikoto, who used her brother to get to know more about Mai. Changing topics, Mai asked what was Shizuru's first impression of Natsuki.

"A delinquent with no manners at all."

Mai nearly spat out her drink with Shizuru's quick response. Once she safely swallowed her beverage, she proceeded to laugh. The 'delinquent' only looked away from Shizuru and crossed her arms as she heard the story before. The chestnut haired woman continued with her story.

"Didn't even say sorry when she ran into me-"

"I did say sorry. I even bought you a drink to say sorry."

"After the fact."

"Still said sorry."

Mai stared and laughed at the couple with amusement. Mikoto was at her side patting Mai's back to prevent her from choking from laughter.

"The more I knew about Natsuki, the more my opinion of her changed."

Mikoto nodded in agreement "Natsuki is a nice person."

"Yes. Natsuki is a nice person. Kind, loving, warm..."

Placing a hand on the lap of the girl, Shizuru easily got her attention. Natsuki loosed up and held on to Shizuru's hand. Her scowl gone, replaced by the brightest smile she'd ever shown. Mai found the expression on her best friend a rare sight and very cute. She couldn't help it any longer as she broke the moment.

"Awwwwww!"

Mikoto also couldn't help it and also said something.

"Shizuru-san, you forget that Natsuki is also reckless."

The group laughed at Mikoto's statement. Everyone except for Natsuki, who gave an evil eye to the girl. The couples continued to chat about the past. The time went by so fast, by the time they left the restaurant they called it a day. Mai and Mikoto went their way to the train station while the other couple rode Natsuki's bike to her apartment.

Entering the dark room, Natsuki navigated her way to the thermostat to turn on the heater. Regrouping with Shizuru, she found the girl was already seated in front of the keyboard playing the basic scales. Taking a brief moment to admire the girl whom she can call hers, she couldn't actually believe she was in such a relationship. Natsuki walked up to the keyboard and sat right next to the girl on the bench. Shizuru stopped playing and let her head rest upon the shoulder of her beloved.

"Tired?"

"A little."

Natsuki started to play the piano to provide the other girl with a relaxing melody. Playing something on-the-spot was something she'd usually do whenever she forgets to bring sheet music.

"I wrote a song for Natsuki."

"You did? Can you sing it?"

"It's not finished."

She raised her head to look into the deep green eyes that greeted her every morning.

"I want you to write some lyrics too."

"What?"

"Half of the lyrics are written by me and the other half written by you."

"I suppose I'll end up composing the melody too?

"Ara, I was going to volunteer for that but if you insist."

Natsuki stopped playing and turned to the woman next to her only to see her trademark smile. _Tricked again_.

"Fine. Then you have to sing it."

"Of course."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**Ok, so um...no songs to credit, lol. Obviously there will be song to credit in the next chapter. I never knew it's been nearly a month since I last updated this story, go figure. That sex stat with the calories, god bless my high school PE teacher for sharing such a fact, lol. Yes, you read right. I said FACT. 

SO! Let me know what you think. Greatly appreciate it if you do. I'll continue if you all like it. Reviews keep authors going you know.


	5. Interlude

Disclaimer: The same as always, I don't own Mai-HiME so no-no with the lawsuits, kay?

**Currents  
**Chapter 5: Interlude

**---**

As the months passed, the couple worked on their song. There were some disputes over how the melody should be. A dispute where Natsuki was no match for. Especially when Shizuru would take her dinner for hostage. Mai's café renovations were completed not long ago. Even though Natsuki was busy with the song, she still made the effort to play at Mai's café every Friday. The Fire String Café became bigger. The stage now raised by a few feet instead of being at floor level. The bar expanded allowing more customers to sit closer to it.

The weather is warmer now that spring came into town. After talking on the phone, Natsuki is on her way to Shizuru's apartment. Upon arriving, the door to the woman's apartment was left open and after taking a peek inside she found a few boxes piled at the foyer.

"What the hell…"

"Natsuki? Is that you?"

Navigating her way around the boxes, she saw the woman sitting on a couch looking though a box. Taking a seat next to her girlfriend, Natsuki looked around the room.

"Where'd all these boxes come from?"

"From the many closets in this apartment. I'm thinking of shipping these back to my parents house in Kyoto."

Natsuki's arm made a slight twitch that didn't go unnoticed by the chestnut haired woman.

"So um…you plan to go back? Something you need to do?"

Wrapping her arms around Natsuki's waist, Shizuru rested her chin on the girl's shoulders. Natsuki kept her stare on the floor waiting for a response.

"What if I need to?"

"Well I won't let you!" Natsuki responded with a commanding tone. She stood up releasing herself from Shizuru's embrace and faced her with determined eyes.

Shizuru smiled at the action. Standing up herself, she once again wrapped her arms around Natsuki in an embrace. Keeping the silence between them, she can only breath in the warmth that Natsuki provided her with. Unable to keep it to herself anymore, Shizuru let out a small chuckle.

"Well, Natsuki has nothing to worry about."

"…what?"

"I was only planning on sending these boxes back to Kyoto to have more storage space. I never intended to go back at all."

Natsuki stood dumbfounded.

"Then….but they way you were acting and talking…"

"Hmm. Natsuki is just so cute when she gets worked up, I couldn't help myself."

Giving a peck on the girl cheek as a peace offering Shizuru gave her an assuring smile. Natsuki, however, wasn't smiling at all. Worried at the lack of response from the girl, Shizuru started to panic. _Have I gone too far this time?_ Her question was answered when the other girl pouted. It was a short and brief moment but when Natsuki looked into her eyes, Shizuru knew all was already forgiven.

"That's it? A peck on the cheek?"

"Hm?"

"That's not enough for a 'sorry' you know."

Moving her arms from the waist to around the neck, Shizuru leaned in closer to have their foreheads touch.

"Then I wonder what is enough?"

"…"

"Perhaps this?"

Closing the gap between their lips they were locked in a passionate kiss. Both of them smiled into the kiss as if each one were saying '_Stay with me_' and the response was the same for both, '_Always_' After several moments, they broke the kiss and looked around them. The boxes on the floor did not go away. Natsuki helped with sorting out the boxes. Looking into one of the boxes, she saw several trophies and extracted one of them to take a closer look.

"You have a lot of trophies here. What were they for?"

Walking closer to where Natsuki was, a wave of memory came to her as she laid eyes upon her old college trophies.

"A club."

"You joined a sports club?" Natsuki's eyes were wide with interest.

"Of course. You seem surprised." Sitting next to the raven haired woman and placing her chin onto her shoulders once more.

Natsuki examined the trophy in her hands and read what was written on the small plaque.

Fujino Shizuru

Naginata

First Place in Nationals

"You were ranked first place in the Nation!?"

"Yes."

"That's impressive!"

Natsuki's admiration for the woman grew. It wasn't enough that the Shizuru was charming, beautiful, intelligent. She was now athletic to Natsuki's eyes. However…

"Um…I have a small question."

"Yes?"

"Eh, what's a naginata?"

-

The next afternoon, Natsuki has plans of a lunch date with her special someone. Speeding through the streets with complete bliss, unable to suppress her happiness. She didn't even mind the speeding ticket she received from a traffic cop. Parking her bike across the street from the shop, Natsuki turned off the engine and waited for the woman to emerge from the shop. Several minutes later, there's still no sign of Shizuru and Natsuki was getting impatient. The fact that she's starting to acknowledge the ticket in the breast pocket of her jacket wasn't helping. Leaving the bike parked, Natsuki decided to see what was going on and entered the store.

The place was fairly crowded. More so then the normal now that the store was getting more and more popular. Ads in the magazines and even a short commercial on TV, obviously it will catch the attention of women and young girls. Amongst the crowd, Natsuki could see that Kikukawa and Suzushiro-san both have their hands full. Once Yukino was finished with a customer, she saw through the crowd and spotted her manager's girlfriend. She waved her hand to say 'hello' and pointed to the back indicating that the woman she was looking for was in the backroom. Natsuki waved back and smiled at the girl before making her way to the manager's room.

While extending a hand to the doorknob, the door suddenly opened from inside the office. Natsuki came face to face with a man she wasn't familiar with. The stranger smiled then turned to Shizuru, who was still sitting in her chair.

"It seems that your guest is here."

"Who the hell are you?" Natsuki inquired.

Shizuru sensing the small amount of hostility from the girl decided to jump in to prevent the man from being injured. Natsuki did show off her own set of trophies from martial arts along with another set from a marksmanship contest.

"Natsuki, this is my business partner."

"Asakura Kei. It's a pleasure meeting you, Kuga-san."

Extending his hand in a handshake, Natsuki can only stare at the extended hand. _Should I break his hand? I would certianily love to. _After debating with herself, Natsuki decided to play nice accepting the handshake.

"You know me?"

"Of course, Shizuru-san has mentioned you quite a few times."

_Shizuru?! Just who the hell are you? _"I see."

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lunch date."

Kei bid his farewells leaving the two girls behind. Natsuki crossed her arms across her chest and stared at woman in front of her. Waiting for an explanation but only receiving smiles.

"So…business partner? Is that it?"

"Of course. Natsuki has nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure?"

A bit taken back at the response, Shizuru couldn't help but feel a tint of sadness at Natsuki's question. Of course the emotion never showed itself. It just leaked into her voice.

"You don't trust me?"

Natsuki, never to miss the detail in the change, noticed the leak and wrapped her arms around the woman.

"What? Of course I trust you."

"Then you shouldn't be worried."

After softly kissing Natsuki upon the lips, Shizuru gave an assuring smile to which Natsuki can only nod to and accept.

-

Hours later and they were walking around the city of Fuuka trying to find a place for lunch. Most of the places were full and they didn't want to wait around for a table. Walking near a park, Natsuki spotted a takoyaki stand. It was better then heading back on an empty stomach. Besides, other then the sauce the takoyaki came with a nice amount of mayo for Natsuki. Shizuru questioned the contents of the food then tried one. To her surprise it was actually pretty good, minus the insane amount of mayo Natsuki placed on it.

Spending a considerable amount of time in the park, the couple nearly chatted the day away.

"So why open a lingerie store? You can probably open some big business corporation instead."

"I didn't want to do anything I wouldn't like."

"…so you open a lingerie store?"

"Of course, it was Kei's idea since…"

Natsuki's eye twitched at the mention of Asakura's name. _Ugh, that ugly man again._

"Since?"

Shizuru placed a hand on her cheek to cover a slight blush.

"…since…"

"Since you thought you'd be able to check out more girls in that kind of store?"

Head quickly spinning to face Natsuki in disbelief.

"Excuse me?"

"Hahah, I was just kidding!"

"Well, your claim is not all false."

"What?!"

Natsuki's eyes suddenly went wide at the statement. _Please tell me you're kidding._ Shizuru maintained her amused smile. _That smile isn't helping!_

"Hmm, is Natsuki jealous?"

"Of course not!"

"Oh?"

Turning her head away wasn't enough to escape from the woman's amused smile. Natsuki's claim started to falter when her face slightly changed to a hue of red. She looked down on her lap hoping it was enough to escape the smile. Alas her attempt was futile when Shizuru just placed her head on Natsuki's lap looking up straight at her. Eventually giving up…

"Ehh, a bit."

-

Walking out the park and towards her motorcycle, Natsuki was spotted by a familiar face.

"Oi, Kuga. What are you doing here? Aren't you suppose to be composing something to play?

"Aren't you suppose to be looking for a job?"

"Do you need a job, Yuuki-san?" Shizuru inquired to make her presence known.

Nao smiled and shook her head.

"I do have a job!"

"Prostitution doesn't count."

"Shut up."

After looking through her bag, Nao pulled out a certificate and handed it to Natsuki. Upon reading the paper, the raven haired girl was rendered speechless.

"You gotta be kidding me…"

"I kid you not!"

Natsuki showed Shizuru the paper, who gave her polite smiles.

"That's fantastic, Yuuki-san."

"Isn't it!"

Natsuki was still in disbelief.

"This isn't a fake certificate, is it? You didn't kill someone for it did you?"  
"Hey, that's an insult. I did get my degree in the field back in college, you know!"

"…so you're officially a…"

Nao gave one of her proud 'you-better-fucking-believe-it' smiles.

"That's right! From now on, I'm GTN!"

"…GTN?"

"Great Teacher Nao!"

Natsuki handed the certificate back to the red head in front of her. _The world is ending. They must be despertate for teachers. Yeah, that's it._

"Well, I'm off to an interview. Wish me luck!"

"I wish luck to the poor class who manages to get you for a teacher."

Walking away, Nao turned around and gave the couple a message.

"By the way, Mai wants you both to stop by the café. She has something to show you. Something about your duet or some crap like that. Later!"

-

Instead of dropping Shizuru off at her store, they went to Mai's café to see what the 'something' is.

"Shizuru-san! Natsuki! Welcome!"

"Good evening, Mai-san."

It was still a bit too early for the place to be crowded. Tonight's guest performer was trying to set up the stage for their gig later on at night. Mai blindfolded Natsuki and dragged both of them behind the stage.

"Is it unnessary to blindfold me?"

"Well the surprise would shock Natsuki more."

"Oi, Mai. I just found out Nao became a teacher, nothing else can shock me now."

Climbing the stairs that lead to the stage, Natsuki tripped along the way and kicked the stairs to get her revenge. Shizuru giggled at the childish display in her beloved and couldn't help but kiss her cheek. Even blindfolded, Natsuki can tell who it was and blushed. Mai had stopped walking and Natsuki bumped into her.

"What's the deal?"

"You can take the blindfold off now."

After removing the article from her eyes, Natsuki was indeed stunned at what was before her eyes.

"Mai, how the hell did you get this?"

Running up to the object in question, Natsuki ran her hands on the smooth, sleek black surface of the cover. She walked around it to examine every contour of the object. Smooth and polished, Natsuki can see her own reflection on every surface. Opening the top to reveal the mechanics of the inside, beyond the strings on the soundboard, there was a label that confirmed the instrument is authentic.

"Mason & Hamlin."

"You like?"

"Of course!"

Natsuki felt like a little kid in a candy store. Able to tell the difference between the old Yamaha acoustic piano she normally uses and the new piano that's in front of her. The tension resonator is something she knew only Mason & Hamlin pianos have. Further inspecting the mechanics of the grand piano she noticed that the bass bridge angled off to the left making the instrument's board larger. It's truly a superb instrument with a tone like no other.

"How can you afford this?"

"I didn't buy it. It was given."

"Given?"

"I can't say who. I'm not allowed to."

Natsuki didn't care. Her eyes continued to sparkle as she further inspected the grand piano. _Beautiful. Just simply beautiful. And it's shiny! _Finally resting on the bench, Natsuki's fingers were sweating anticipation. After wiping them on her jeans, each of her fingers found their respective notes on the keys and started to play a simple melody. The weighted keys felt a little different from the Yamaha but the sound difference was clearly present. Mai and Shizuru, however, didn't notice the difference.

"Now you can use that for your duet next Friday."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Classes started again so I guess slower chapter release? I don't know, we'll see. I had a hard time brainstorming ideas for "I Got You" so I just decided to update this fic, hope that's ok with you guys.

Shizuru's naginata trophies! I read that they do actually practice it in some colleges over at Japan so I figured, 'why the hell not?!' god bless wikipedia. GTN! Was reading the GTO mangas and I got the idea from there. Imagine Nao as a teacher, hahah. Finally, the grand piano. Whatever I wrote is my opinion of the Mason & Hamlin grand piano so you don't have to agree with it.

So, with that said, let me know what you think. Greatly appreciate if you do. I'll continue if you all like it.


	6. Unison

Disclaimer: The same as always, I don't own Mai-HiME so no-no with the lawsuits, 'kay?

**Currents**  
Chapter 6: Unison

---

It's been several hours since Natsuki collapsed on the couch. Slowly rising from her slumber, green eyes began to scan around the living room. Spotting a slight tint of sunlight from out the window, she turned her head towards the clock hanging from the wall. 6 AM.

The girl rolled from the couch, placing her bare foot on the floor. Upon contact, she felt a sudden sharp pain, instantly retracting her foot. Examining the ball of her foot, it now has a piece of glass sticking out of her skin. Her face remained emotionless as she pulled the offending glass from her foot. A faint drop of blood slowly rolled down to the heel before getting wiped by the sleeve of her shirt. She scanned the room once again.

The living room was in disarray. She had stepped on a broken glass vase that originally belonged to the other side of the room. Any trace of sleepiness was gone, everything became clear now. Natsuki had realized she broke down last night and had let out her anger and sadness upon her living room. The thought of cleaning the mess never crossed her mind. Natsuki, once again, stood up careful to avoid the broken glass.

Still refusing to turn on any light, she used the faint sunlight seeping through the window to navigate though the room. Refusing to stay home, the girl fumbled around trying to find the helmet she threw somewhere. Several attempts later, she found the object and decided to at least fix the tables she threw over. After the mini clean-up, she headed towards the door hoping that the morning ride would allow her to forget a certain someone. But after opening the door, the one currently standing before her was the very person she did not want to see._Shizuru_.

A storm of emotions well up within the raven haired girl. Was she supposed to be happy this woman was outside her door? Sad? Angry too, perhaps? She didn't know which emotion to follow. Her breathing became shallow and noticed the sinking heavy feeling within her chest. She needed to get away, anything that would prevent her from crying again.

-

Refusing to look the girl in the eyes, Shizuru was surprised at the fact that Natsuki has not yelled at her or pushed her away yet, she wondered why. She found the answers in the one place she refused to look, one peek into the forest green eyes she was drawn into them like a magnet. But they were different now, not the lively green color it used to be. They were a dull green color surrounded by redness, testament to the crying the girl had done last night. The crying she heard through the door. Still, she can't help but wonder why those same eyes seem like they're still crying.

"Natsuki, I…"

-

Natsuki slowly extended a hand towards the girl's shoulder. Upon contact, she felt the Kyoto beauty tense up then slowly relaxed. She noticed that Shizuru was starting to lean in for a hug, perhaps a kiss. _No, no more_. Not wanting the extra contact from the woman, Natsuki pushed her out the away and quickly headed towards the elevator.

She felt a hand grab hers from behind. Turning around, the girl violently shook her hand free from the contact.

"Natsuki, please…"

She peered into those crimson eyes. They were swollen, very much like her own. The crimson eyes now crying. Those eyes, those compassionate crimson eyes. _Filled with so many emotions like love and joy. Those eyes that sparkled with happiness and joy that night. Those eyes that I loved and adored, they sucked me in and kept me at peace. Those same eyes that was capable of deceit and lies. Those same eyes I now hate._

It was the night before their big performance. Everything is already completed, the lyrics, the arrangement at Mai's café, the singer and the pianist. It was perfect. Except for the fact that the composition wasn't complete yet. Natsuki had been procrastinating its production claiming that it was easy and can be finished in no time. Said girl now on the bed on the verge of sleeping, thus putting off the composition until the next morning. She was a last minute type of girl after all. Unfortunately for her, Shizuru was more punctual. The girl went to lay down by Natsuki's side. The raven haird girl was hesitant to cuddle but Shizuru knew she just didn't want to seem eager for the cuddling, so she took it upon herself to initiate the act. Everything happened so fast, Natsuki was beginning to wonder how her girlfriend was now on top of her. _I could've sworn she was at my side seconds ago!_

"Natsuki, you must finish composing."

"Hmm, tomorrow."

That was not the response Fujino Shizuru wanted to hear. She began to carefully calculate the steps in her plan, making sure that everything would go her way. After visualizing each step in her master plan, it was time to put it into action. Removing herself from the young girl, Shizuru went to her side of the bed and pulled the covers up. Several seconds later, _3, 2, 1…_

"Shizuru?"

_Perfect._

The lost of contact bothered Natsuki. She sat up to see the condition of the other woman. A futile attempt as she was met with Shizuru's back. Placing a hand upon a shoulder, Natsuki shook her lightly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Something is wrong."

No response. Natsuki took it upon herself to lean over to catch an expression from the other girl. She was met with an expression that can either be interpreted as anger or disappointment. Internal alarms rang within Natsuki, after a while, they died down as she continues her quest to find out what's bothering her Kyoto beauty.

"Obviously something's wrong."

"Natsuki does not want to perform with me."

"What?! That's not true!"

Natsuki grabbed both shoulders and softly turned the woman to face her.

"That's not true."

"Then how come Natsuki does not wish to finish the composistion?"

"That- I was just tired. So I needed to rest…and now that I'm rested I'll go and finish it."

"Really?" _So predictable_

"That's right!"

Innocently smiling at the girl, Shizuru wrapped her arms around Natsuki's neck and drew her in for an embrace. At the success of her plan, Shizuru let out a low giggle. Alarmed at her little slip up, she hoped Natsuki would have missed it, apparently it was missed. However, Natsuki started to place light butterfly kisses upon the woman's neck. Slowly but surely, Natsuki began to lean onto Shizuru lightly forcing the girl to lay back down. Moving herself between Shizuru's legs, she continued her assult upon the woman's neck. Shuddering slightly as she felt Natsuki's tounge make contact, Shizuru couldn't help but wonder, _this was not part of my plan. However, I certainly do not mind at all. _

As she continued her kiss, Natsuki's hands explored the body that lay beneath her. The smooth skin, slender waist, arched back, the soft feeling of the chest she had just finished to grope. Natsuki broke the kiss for some much needed air, however, her curious hand continued to explore below the waist. Letting a finger trace a path on Shizuru's thigh, making the girl shudder once more. The closer she came to the top, the lighter her touch became further teasing Shizuru. It only continued as the same hand moved over to the other thigh to trace a path of its own.

She can't stand it anymore, she wanted to have Natsuki. Shizuru rolled over to straddle Natsuki between her legs to trap the girl beneath her then gave her a deep kiss. Seconds later Natsuki reversed their posistions and began to plant kisses upon the neck. Arriving at Shizuru's ear, she momentarily stopped making sure to breath. Shizuru felt the girl's hot breathing upon her ear, she wanted more. Natsuki leaned in to whisper something.

"So I should go and finish that composition now."

_Wha-_

She quickly removed herself from the girl and was nearly out the room. _That little giggle earlier, don't think I missed that! _Moving towards the door, Natsuki was proud at her accomplishment. Suddenly, she heard sheets shuffling from behind.

"Natsuki…"

Natsuki turned around with a smile on her face. However, her face suddenly came into contact with an object and was thrown back because of the force. Landing back first on the floor, she stared at the ceiling wondering what the hell just happened. From where she landed, Natsuki lifted her head to see the doorway to her room. The door in the process of being slammed shut by Shizuru.

"You can sleep on the couch tonight."

The raven haired girl remained on the floor for a while. Somehow she can't stop herself from grinning at what just happened. She had been successful at turning things around, instead of being teased she became the teaser. However, such actions against Fujino Shizuru did not go unpunished, leaving Natsuki slightly fazed. She looked around to find what exactly Shizuru threw. At the side of her head was her pillow, _I didn't know pillows can be so dangerious in her hands._ Natsuki managed to stand up and snapped herself out of her faze and walked away.

-

The morning sun was trying to worm its way through the blinds of the window. Each ray gently hitting the figure on the bed. A light growl escaped from the sleeping figure once the rays arrived at the face. By instinct, the woman reached a hand to the space next to her. Empty. Feeling no warmth, she raised her head to find the person she's looking for. Blinking a few times, her head cleared from the sleepy haze and remembered why Natsuki was not next to her. _So I guess she did hear the little slip up._

Climbing off the bed, the Kyoto beauty started to stretch and she made her way to the door. Reaching for the knob, she suddenly noticed a low unpleasant noise emitting from the other side of the door. Curiosity getting the better of her, she opened the door without hesitation and scanned the scene. Nothing. Walking further into the living room, she noticed the couch was empty. The pillow she threw was the only thing there and no sight of her lover. _Did I go too far?_ Slightly worrying, the unpleasant noise once again invaded her ears. She followed the noises which lead her to one of the cutest scene she could imagine.

Natsuki had fallen asleep by the piano. Sitting on the wooden bench, Natsuki hunched over with pencil still in hand in her attempts to finish the composition. Crimson eyes went to the sheet music on the stand, at the bottom of the last page it was signed 'K.N' proof that the sleeping girl had indeed finish the piece. Examining the sleeping girl further, Shizuru noticed that the piano had been left on. Natsuki's head pressing several keys was the cause of the unpleasant sound. A light trail of drool came from the corner of her mouth and dripped on to a key. It looked to be an uncomfortable position to be sleeping in but somehow Natsuki managed to do so. Shizuru proceeded to turn the piano off then leaned down to kiss the girl on the forehead. _My lovely Natsuki._

* * *

**Author's Note: **this chapter was actually written weeks ago, I sorta got stuck on how to proceed with the concert so I cut it short. hopefully this progressed the story a bit. Thanks to those who found time to review during this fic's off-season. 

So with that said, let me know what you think. Greatly appreciate if you do. I'll continue if you all like it.


	7. Untitled

Disclaimer: The same as always, I don't own Mai-HiME so no-no with the lawsuits, 'kay

**Currents**  
Chapter 7: Untitled

A few hours into the afternoon, the drooling pianist awoke from her sleep. Slowly lifting her head from the keys of the piano, that became her 'pillow' during the night so needless to say, she woke up with quite a stiff neck. After rubbing her eyes, she looked around in search of the person who decided where she had to sleep last night. The apartment was silent, no faint sounds from other rooms only the busy Friday afternoon streets from the window. Natsuki stood up from the bench and started to walk towards the bedroom, only finding that the bed has been made and a note sitting in the middle. The corner of the girl's mouth formed a slight smile knowing what the letter contains. It's the same as the rare mornings where Shizuru must leave at attend to some business matters about her store. Other then Natsuki, no one can ever guess that the woman actually enjoys sleeping in rather then attend matters that her assistant manager can handle.

After eating then some cleaning up, the blue haired wonder found herself on the couch flipping through channels. A glance at the clock to find out she still have time to spare before getting ready for the session at Mai's place. With the remote, Natsuki turned off the television and walked towards her bedroom to retrieve a black binder from the bookshelf. Making her way towards the piano, she went through the contents of the binder. She went through several pages of sheet music before stopping to an unfinished composition. Natsuki read what she wrote so far then stopped for a moment to figure out how to continue where the notes stopped. Sitting on the bench, Natsuki played what she had composed so far as she brainstorms ideas.

-

"Hey, Mai! I don't know a lot about pianos but I hear Kuga play enough times to know it is not supposed to sound like this."

Nao played 2 octaves to make her point. The B and C keys did not sound like they were a half a note apart but instead a full note apart. In addition to that, there were a handful of sour notes. The girls looked at each other, Mai wasn't sure about the red-head's comment but it's better to be safe then sorry. Especially tonight.

"I'll call Natsuki."

"You do that."

"….."

"What?"

"She's not picking up."

"Then go to her apartment. It's almost time anyways."

-

Later on, at the pianist's apartment, Natsuki was still in front of the keyboard trying to finish the piece. Wearing headphones, she completely out of reach from outside influences, like her phone ringing. It's these moments where her worries leave her. Spending time with Shizuru also gave her the same level of comfort, though she wouldn't admit any of it to the woman. Shizuru would probably just trick Natsuki into saying that she loves playing the piano more then her. Followed by the guilt trip and a panicking Natsuki not soon after.

Natsuki's mind was completely occupied by the keyboard, so much so that she nearly jumped over it when she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. In fact, she was about to fight back if not for the laugher she heard from the other person.

"Mai!"

"Hahah, it was like you were asking for it."

"How'd you get in?"

"Best friend gets a spare key, remember?"

Natsuki took a moment to regain her composure before picking up the sheet music from the floor.

"Working on your originals again?"

"Yeah. You need something?"

"I don't think the new piano is tuned."

Still picking up some pages, Natsuki nodded to acknowledge where her friend was getting at. After turning off the keyboard, she made her way to the bedroom to get changed.

"Where's Shizuru-san?" Mai had to talk louder to make sure her friend heard her.

Natsuki emerged from her room wearing jeans and a white shirt as she holds a black jacket.

"At work. Let's go."

-

Sitting at her chair, Shizuru may seem attentive of the meeting but her mind was on the other side of the world. Amazingly, her attention always came back when her opinion was needed about the matter at hand. The meeting was about the expansion of the shop to other regions and it had dragged much longer then Shizuru wanted it to. _This is getting too long._

"Shall we finish this up another day?"

"Another day? We're almost done."

Of course, Haruka wanted to get things finished rather then postpone them to another time. Shizuru excused herself from the room for a small break. There was still a lot of time until she needed to meet up with Natsuki but she didn't want to be late. Pulling out a cell phone from her purse, she called her beloved to say the she might be arriving late and would just take a cab to the café. No answer. A bit disappointed to get the answering machine, she left the message and hung up. Before reentering the meeting room, Shizuru took a deep breath to prepare herself for another round.

-

Arriving at the café, Natsuki parked her bike at the back and entered at the rear entrance. From the back, she could hear the performer play the saxophone for the audience. The saxophone player sat at near the front of the stage and behind him was the curtain that covered the rest of the stage and the piano as well. The closer she got to the stage the better she heard the music. After opening the lid to inspect the strings, Natsuki sat down on the bench to listen to the musician playing. _Would sound much better with a piano accompaniment._ As soon as the performer walked off the stage, Natsuki headed to her room to get the tools needed for the tuning. Like every other instruments, pianos need to be properly tuned regularly. If not, a good quality piano can sound sour over an extended amount of time. Arriving back out to the piano, Natsuki began the long, patience-testing, process of tuning the piano. All 88 keys of it.

About two hours later, Mai had apologized to her customers for the delay of the show and Natsuki was just about done with the tuning. Mai made her way around back to where her friend was, who was playing on the piano to test it out. Most of the tools still scattered on the floor. Mai picked one of them up which was about the same size as a deck of cards.

"I didn't know you used a tuner. I thought you tune it by ear?"

"I'm not that good. Besides, that helps make the tuning process less painful."

"So you're done?"

"Yeah, I'm about to go pick up Shizuru now too. She hasn't called yet though."

Closing the lid of the piano, Natsuki gathered her tools from the floor and took them back to her room. Grabbing her helmet on the way out, she began to search her pockets for her phone. Realizing she might have left it at home, Natsuki shrugged it off and continued to make her way at the rear exit. As she mounted her bike, a car pulled up in front of her and Shizuru stepped out from the front passenger side. The blue haired girl had a confused expression on her face, _Front passenger side? Isn't this suppose to be a taxi?_ Shizuru walked towards her and lifted the visor to give a kiss on Natsuki's cheek bone since it was the only thing she was able to land her lips on. From the driver's side of the car emerged the last person Natsuki wanted to see.

"Thank you for the ride, Kei-san."

"Anything for you"

Kei suddenly left that his life was in danger but doesn't exactly know why.

"Would you like to stay for the show?"

"I have to pass on the invitation; I have other matters to attend to."

As he was getting into his car, Kei started to feel safer. As he drove away, he felt as if he'd just avoided a dangerous encounter. Removing her helmet, Natsuki was met with a hug and Shizuru's face very close to hers. The chestnut haired woman wore an expression saying 'just admit it'. Natsuki, however, had her own expression saying 'I don't know what you're talking about'.

"Is Natsuki jealous?"

"Of what?"

"So you're not?"

"Not what?"

Natsuki now trying to figure out of she actually was jealous or just wanted to kill Kei. _When in doubt; deny, deny, deny. _She wouldn't admit neither to the woman in front of her since both seemed to be a losing argument for her.

"Let's go everyone's waiting."

_Aww, she is jealous. So cute. _

While making their way into the back room of the café, Natsuki wore a smile at the woman's simple words.

-

"Do I really have to dress like this?"

"Yes."

"How will I be able to walk to the piano?"

"You're walking now."

Looking down at her attire, Natsuki still couldn't believe that she was talked into wearing an evening gown. After all, it was just a normal session right? Not when it involves one Fujino Shizuru. The pianist wore a dark gray spaghetti strap evening dress with matching high heels. The dress itself wasn't so constricting due to the hip to ankle slit on the left side. However, it was because of the slit that the girl refused to move around. The fact that her whole left leg gets exposed every step did very little to comfort her. _I can't believe this._ She would never admit it, to anyone or herself that she actually liked how she looked in the dress.

When Natsuki took the stage and the gasp from the audience was heard as they saw the pianist walk out all dressed up. The gasps were followed by several flashes from cameras and phones not soon after. Natsuki just sat at the piano and closed her eyes until the flashes stopped _It's like they want me to go blind_. After the hype died down, Natsuki began to stretch her fingers then softly placed them upon the keys and started to play.

Despite the change in reaction when Natsuki came out, most of the audience is in silence watching the performance. The occasional low conversations near the bar are nothing new to the atmosphere whenever she performed. Especially now with the new piano, its extensive range in dynamics and tone quality drowned out majority of the miscellaneous noises. Time seem to pass by quickly as it was already nearing the end of the show. Natsuki walked off stage to take a quick break and the audience returned to its loud volume.

Once in her room, she began shaking her hands as they were starting to get stiff halfway though the last song. Opening and closing them to flex and stretch her fingers, it didn't hurt to dip them in warm water for a few minutes either. It didn't take long for Natsuki to go back out for the final song. This time, however, she'll have company.

With Natsuki sitting back down in front of the piano, Mai had just finished the announcement of the special, one night only, duet of Natsuki and (her) special someone. Once Mai left the stage, and away from a certain pianist, the stage lights dimmed and the piano started to play its last song of the night.

As the stage began to receive more light, another silhouette appeared on stage sitting on one of the bar stools. When the lights adjusted to their intended luminosity, it revealed the unknown figure in a dark red dress. Similar to Natsuki's dress, however, there are no straps and the slit is on the other side. When Shizuru started to sing, the audience didn't know who to keep an eye on, the charming nameless singer or the skillful pianist.

_**I saw you smiling at me  
Was it real or just my fantasy?  
You'd always be there at the corner  
Of this tiny little bar**_

To the performers on stage, the audience is in complete silence. Moving away from the microphone to give way to Natsuki's piano solo, Shizuru wonders if the performance is going fine with the lack of response from everyone. Natsuki, however, is too absorbed into the sheet music in front of her to think about the audience.

_**So let me come to you  
Close as I want to be  
Close enough for me  
To feel your heart beating fast  
And stay there as I whisper  
How I love your peaceful eyes on me  
And did you ever know  
That I had mine on you?**_

Standing up from the chair, Shizuru filled her lungs with air and let it out in the final chorus of the song.

_**Darling so there you are  
With that look on your face  
As if you're never hurt  
As if you're never down  
Shall I be the one for you  
Who pinches you softly but sure  
If frown is shown then I will know  
That you are no dreamer**_

The crowd began to clap as the song winded down and started to give a standing ovation as the piano stopped. Standing side by side, the couple bowed to their audience and as the stage lights began to fade they made their exit.

* * *

Author's Note: I'm so sorry I haven't been updating this story and the other one in a long time. Had a bunch of important things to do; projects, work, paying for school, not to mention a lapse of writer's block. Recent blame can go to my piano, Macross Frontier and MGS4 D

I tried to veer away from using "Eyes on Me", I did. I really did. But I couldn't think of any songs that would be ok so…I used it anyways? Lol. Thanks to shezaei-neko for giving the idea. I remembered someone said to use the song so I just went with it. I know I cut a few corners with the song, hopefully you guys won't mind that. Natsuki's dress, think Aya Brea from "Parasite Eve".

Lastly, for those who've been following this story since the beginning (and actually staying with it during the long lapse) thanks so much. For those who recently found this, hopefully you won't go through such a thing, lol. I'll try to punch out the next chapter faster, but I make no promises.


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